Improved means foe ebopetlim oiml boats



@uiten gratta @anni @ifi-rr.

GREE'NLEAE STAGKPOLE, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR "To HIMSELE, NATHANIEL T. v

SPEAR, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND oYRUs AND DARIUSOOBB, or BOSTON, MASSA()HUsErrrs.`

Lettere Patent No. 63,184, dated March 26, 1867; antedated .March 13, 186,7.

i I IMPRDVED MEANS FOR PROPETLING CANAL BOATS.

`TQALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be vitlcnown that I, GBEENLEAE STACKP'OLE, of New York, in the county andState of New York, haveinvented ,certain4 new and useful improvements Iinthe Meansfor Propelling Canal Boats A and I dohereby declare that the following isa full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-f I Figure 1 is a side elevation.

'Figure 2 is a front view; and Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the same. Similar letters of reference in the three/views indieateporresponding parts` This invention relates to certain improvements in that class ofiapparatuvs .for 4propelling canal boats for which-a patent was allowed to me on August 28, 1865, in which a flanged rail is used, extending along the bank of the canal, and the canal boat isprovided with two wheels whichv bear on' the hanged rail, one from above, and the other from below, clamping-said rail between them in such a'manner that, by imparting to -said wheels a revolving motion, the canal boat is propelled. y

The present improvement consists in arranging the wheels which clamp the 'flanged rail in a radius-arm,

which swingsonA a shafaandwhiehis lso constructed that itv forms drm-and durable bearings .forthe axles of said wheels. A. chain, which passcsov'er a spur-wheel mounted on the driving-shaft, extends over similar spurwhee'l on the axle of one of the clamping-wheels,and by these means the motion of the` drivingshaft istrans- V'mitted tothe clamping-wheels, and the canal boat is propelled, and at vthe same time the radius-arm permits said clamping-wheels to accommodate themselves to the varying position ,of the canal boat, owing tothe weight with which the boat is'loaded, or ithe'depth of the water in the canal. Another por-tion of my invention relates to :triangular arm'which rises and falls'freely in suitable guides on the side of the boat, and is vI :vrovided With a guide-wheel, which runs on the flanged rail, and servesto keep the boat parallel with said rail' l A represents a canal boat, of any desired construction, and provided with a steam engineor other suitable motor for the purposeoi propelling thesarne. By this power a rotary motion .is imparted to the'shaft @,which extends through 'the side of 'the boat, 'and on which is mounted' thev radius-arm b, in such a manner thatthe same can vfreely turn on the shaft in either direction. This radius-arm is double, and between itss-two leaves two spurfwheels, cud, are situated, the spur-wheel c being'irmly keyedto the shaft a, 4and the spur-wheel 'd'is mounted on a shaft, e, that has its bearings in the outeriend of lthe radius-ami b, as shown'in the drawing. A channf, extending over the'two spur-wheels, transmits. the motion of theshaft a tothe shaft e, and this latter shaft forms the axle for one of 4the clampingewfheels, g, which' runs on the upper surface of the flanged railh. The axle of the lower clamping-wheel t' has its hearing, p, in a hanger, j, which is suspended astrid'e the 'shaft e from a screw, c, that is tapped into a yoke, Z. This yokeis supported'by the shaft e, and byturning the screw ik .the two clamping-wheels'g z' are brought closer together or further apart, and their traction on the rail h is.

regulated at pleasure. l By this arrangement the clamping-wheels are permitted to adjust themselves freely to the higher or lower position of the boat, and at the same time a firm bearing is obtained for their shafts, and the traction of said wheels can be adjusted wit-hout diliculty. .The shaft e is in the forward part of `the boat, and, in order to keep the stern in position, an angular standard, m, is applied `tothe side of the boat, being held in position. by suitable guides, u., and arranged so` that it'can rise and fall'freely.v This rising and falling standard is nrmedwith a wheel, 0, which travels on the rail h inside its flange. By the combination of this guide-wheel with the clamping-wheels theboat is held in position parallel to the rail, andI all undue strain to theclampingwheels and rail is avoided. A. springof rubber or other suitable material may be introduced in the hanger j, so :1s to induce a-yielding pressure on the'rollere g and z' to allow for irregularities in the thickness of the rail h.

I am aware that a device for propelling canal boats has been made public, -in which an endless chain, impellofl by the action of the engine on the canalboat, rotates a gear-wheel, or analogous device, capable of rising and sinking upon a rail fired along the banki; but such device involved the traversing of the working parts up and down in a-curved groove in the side of the canal boat, and, however carefully constructed and used,

the great strain thrown n 4it in prop ellig, and especially in reversng'wh'en 11n/der Way, wren'ches the appa-l raus andcausresuthe parts to bind in the groove, so that they cannot play fieely. My device, on the co-ntrary, basano groove, but'I the shaft of the driving-wheels is put on the radius-armfb'instead, making a very radical difference in` the censtruotion, :mtl a great pratical improvement in the working, The previous devicehad als 'no rear guide-wheel equivalent to my gude-whee1 o. 4 l

'Having now fully descibd my invention, .what I claim asv new therein, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is asil'ollws: i i

I claim' the lwhecls'g V2-md` ciampi: Z, in combination with'the radius-:Lun b, hrizohtal driving-shaft a, boat Aand-rai'l cnstruoted and opexfatingvsbstntinlly as and for the purpse-described. i i

i' y G. STACKPOLE.

'Wi tn esses:

EMI;A VossNAcK, D. S. FREEBORN 

